Forest Lakes Get Fed Grant

U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi (AZ-01) announced today that the Forest Lakes Volunteer Fire Department will be receiving a federal grant of $69,635 to enhance the fire department's ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards.he grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program."I am pleased to announce that the Forest Lakes Volunteer Fire Department was awarded this DHS grant," said Congressman Renzi. "This department covers hundreds of rural square miles and deserves the funding to effectively serve and protect its area residents.

The Forest Lakes Volunteer Fire Department covers 325 square miles of forest land and plans to use a portion of the federal funds to purchase a new heart monitor and a specialized set of rescue tools for its ambulance.

The funding will also be used to purchase a specialized extractor that splits the fibers of their rescue clothing to extract blood pathogens and other hazardous chemicals, which will make it the only fire department on the Mogollon Rim to have this equipment.

This grant is a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's efforts to strengthen the nation's overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire-related hazards.